urban legends ✓

the staring video ☹

t's a video of a man looking into a camera without expression for roughly two minutes. It's been up on YouTube without comment and seen by hundreds of people. And it's meant to drive you utterly, stark raving mad.

Known as the Mereana Mordegard Glesgorv video, the legend goes that it was pulled by YouTube in the early days after they realized its effects. According to the story, those who watched through to the end would see the expressionless man smile an evil smile. After that they'd lose it. People were said to have clawed their own eyes out after seeing the whole video. Others were said to have taken knives and hacked their own arms up. Yet others were supposed to have killed themselves. It's said that nobody can get even 45 seconds in without screaming, and to go any further is to sacrifice the last shreds of your sanity.

At least, that's the story. In reality, the video is of a guy called Bryan Cortez and you can see him today looking suitably non-demonic and friendly. But we won't blame you if you give that video a miss. Just in case.